The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-09-07
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Facts Proved.


In the days of George Stephenson, the per
fecter of the locomotive engine, the sclentists
proved conclusvely that a railway tram
could never he driven by steam power sue
cessfully and without peril but the rushing
express train from Liverpool to Edinburgh,
and from Edinburgh to London, have maue
all the nation witnesses Of the splendid
achievement. Machinists and navigatorS
proved concluSively that steamer could neF,
or cross the Atlantic ocean; but 10 sooner mad
they successfully proved the impossibility OF
such an undertaking than the work was done,
and the passengers on the Cunard and the In
man and tho National and the White Star
lines are witnesses. There went up gutfaw
of wise laughter at Professor Morse's propo-
sition to make the lightning of heaven his er-
rand boy, and it was proved concluslvely
that the thing could never be done; but now
ali the news of the wide world by Associated
Press, put in your hands every morning and
NIGHT. has made all nations witnesses.
So in the time of Christ it was proved con-
clusively that it was impossible tor him to
rise from the dead 1t was shown logically
that when he was dead he was dead, and the
heart and the liver and the lungs having
ceased to perform their offices, the limbs
would be rigid beyond all power OF friction
or arousal They showed it to be an absolute
absurdity that the dead Christ should ever
this than the dead Christ arose, and the dis
ciples beheld him, heard his voice and talked
with him, and they took the witness stand to
proye that to be true which the wiSeacreS or
The day had proved to be impossible; the
record of the experiment and OF the teStl-
mony is in the text: Him hath God raised
from the dead, whereof we are witnesses.
Now let me play the skeptic for moment:
"There is no Cod says the sHeptlc, 1or
II Will my r>hp
sight Your Bible is pack of contradictions.
There never was miracle. Lazarus was not
raised from the dead, and the water was
never turned into wine. Your religion Is an i'm
position on the credulity of the ages" There
Is an aged man moving in that pew as though
he would like to respond. Here are hundreds
of people with faces little flushed at these
announcements, and all through this house
there is a suppressed ceiling which would Ike
to speak out in behalf OF the truth of our
glorious Christianity, as i'll the days OF the
text, CRYING out: I'VE are witnesses"
The fact is, that if this world is ever
brought to God, it will not be through argu-
ment, but through testimony. You might
cover the whole earth with apologies for
Christianity and learned treatises in defense
of religion-you would not convert soul:
Lectures on the harmony between science ana
religion are beautiful mental discipline, but
have never saved soul, and never will savea
soul. Put man Of the world and man of
the church against each other and the man OF
the world will in all probability get the
triumph. There are Thousand things in our
religion that seem illogical to the world, and
always will seem illogical.
Our weapon III this conflict is faith, not
logic; faith, not metaphysics: faith, not pro-
fundity; faith, not scholastic exploration.
But then, in order to have faith, we must
have testimony, and if 500 men, or ], 600 men,
or SOC, coo men, or 5,0000 000 men get up and
tell me that they have felt the religion OF
Jesus Christ joy, a comfort, help, an i'll
spiration, am bound as fair minded man
to accept their testimony. want Just now
to put before you three propositions; the
truth Of which think this audience will at
test with overwhelming unanimlty.
The first proposition is {: We are witnesses
that the religion Of Christ is able to convert
q soul
The Gospel may have had hard time to
conquer us, we may have fought it back, but
we were vanquiShed, You say conversion is
only an imaginary thing. We know better.
owe are witnesses There never was so
great change in our heart and life on any
other subject as this. People laughed at
the missionaries in Madagascar because they
preached ten years without one convert; but
there are 5000 converts in Madagascar to-
day. People laughed at DR.. Judson, the Bap-
tist missionary, because he kept on preaching
in Burmah five yecrs without single con-
vert: but there are 20, ,0C0 Baptists i'll Burmah
to-day. People laughtd at DR.. Morrison, in
China, for preaching there seven years with
out a single conversion: but there are l5,OOO
Christians in China day. People laughed
at the missionaries for preaching at Tah ii
for fifteen years without Il single conversion,
and at the missionaries for preaching in Ben
gal seventeen years without a single conver-
sion: vet in all those lands there are multi
tudeS of Christians to-day.
But why go so far to find evidences of the
Gospels power to save soul! I'VE are wit
nesses" We were 50 proud that no man
could have humbled us; we were so hard that
no earthly power could have melted us;
angels of God were all around about us, they
could not overcome us; but one day, perhrps
ct Methodist anxious seat, or at a PreShy-
terian catecEetical lecture, or at burial. or
on horseback, a rover seized Us, and made rs
get down, and made us tremble. and made us
kneel, and made us cry for mercy, and we
tried to wrench ourselves away from the
grasp but we could not. 1t flung us flat, anil
when we arose we were as much changed as
Gourgis, the heather, who went into prayer
meeting with dagger and gun to disturb
the meeting and destroy it, but the next day
was found crying: "Oh, my great sins. Oh.
nv great Saviour aud for eleven Year,
preached the gospel OF Christ to his f"l.o -
mountaineers, the last words on MS dying
lips being Free grace!' Oh, it was free
grace.
There is a man who was for ten years
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite had
sent down its roots around the palate and
the tongue, and on down until they were
interlinked with the vitalS OF the Dody,
mind and soul but he has not taken
any stimulantS for two years. What dld
thats Not temperance societies Not pro-
hibitory laws. Not moral Suasion. Conver-
sion did it. "Why,"' said one upon whom
the great change had come, Sir, l feel just
as though were somebody else"
There is q sea captain who Swore all the
way from New York to Havana, and from
Havana to San Francisco, and when he was
i'm port he was worse than when he was on
the sea- What power was it that washed his
tongue clean of profanities and made MN a
psalm singer? Conversion by the Holy SPIRIT.
There are thousands of people in this house
tonight who are no more what they once
were than q waterlily is nightshade, or a
morning lark is a vulture, or day is night.
Now. if l should demand that all those
people in this house who have felt the con-
verting power Of religion should rise, SO FAR
from being ashamed, they would spring to
their feet with more alacrity than they ever
sprang to the dance, the tears minsling with
their exhilaration as they cried: I'VE are
witnesses!n And if they tried to sing the old
Gospel hymn they would break down with
emotion by the time they got to the second
line:
Ashamed OF Jesus, that dear friend
On whom nv ,pes OF heaven depend!
No, When ! blush be this my shame,
That no more revere his name.
Again remark that 1--WE are witnesses OF
the Gospels power to comfort:
When man has trouble the world comes
in and says: "Now get your mind of this; go
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